Thursday July 8 we hiked
Alfred's Pond starting at the Superior
Hiking Trail parking area
on Sugar Loaf Road and ending
at the parking area on the
Cramer Road. That is a five
and a half mile walk which stretches
my abilities but the will was
there. The day was beautiful
and my companions were nice
and I only fell once. This
time it was a drop roll
affair, still no injuries!!!
We saw Linnea,
Spotted
Coralroot, One-flowered
Wintergreen and Bunchberries.
On the Bog were Pitcher plants
and blooming Small Cranberry,
so small one needs to get down
on knees to enjoy the beauty
of the flower. We also saw one
Northern Green Orchid but by
far the best thing of the trip
was the several seas of
Blue-flag Iris. Glad we went.

On Saturday July 10 we went
on a guided hike guided by
Chel Anderson on the Kekekabic
Trail. The purpose was to see
what has happened to the
forest after the blow-down. We
passed the Paulson Mine and
hiked as far as Mine Lake,
stopping for lunch on the way.
It was a nice group but some
of us turned back before the
planned end because we were
getting too tired. One person
requested seeing a Calla Lily
and we found one almost right
away. Another hiker was hoping
to see Sundew and with good
fortune we found one standing
up tall (1") in the
middle of the trail. The
outstanding flower treat were
the many Wood Lilies we saw.
The bright orange against the
green of the forest was
heartwarming. My son, quite a
while ago said that he had
seen wild Blackberries. I
doubted him because I had not.
Well on this trip there were
quite a few!

Northern Green Orchids: If
you are in Grand Marais and
traveling north-east from
town, the first motel you come
to is the Wedgewood Motel.
Park your car and cross to the
upper side of the road and
walk the next 3 or so
driveways. Just on the bank
next to the road are very many
Northern Green Orchids. What a
treat!

Special Guest Report by
webmaster Erik Anderson:

The
weekend of July 9th, we had
beautiful weather without
flies and very few mosquitoes
at McFarland Lake. The
following we found along the
shores and portages of
McFarland, Pine, and John
Lakes (Entry
Point 68/69) as well as
along the Arrowhead
Trail. My favorite this
trip was the beds of Linnea
Borealis amongst the moss in
the shaded forest.
Another standout was the long
stretches of Lupine between
the rock tunnels and Beaver
Bay on Highway 61.

We
were also lucky enough to find
a few dewberries and strawberries
to taste.